It’s Official – Quantegy Will Be Gone

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So they say…

I spoke with a Qunategy rep by phone today. They will indeed be out of the analog tape business by the end of April 2007. They are initiating a mass tape run of various formulations from now until then. All orders must be received by April 28. I was told there is not yet an official press release for reference on the web (frustrating for the must have evidence people like me). The information has just leaked out because they sent notices to distributors.

We will no doubt be chewing on this subject for some time to come… what went wrong. I already can tell you (big surprise eh?) but it will be interesting to see the play-by-play in retrospect.

The good news is that they produced so much tape since the reorganization my grandchildren (none of which exist yet) will be able to by new-old-stock Quantegy on eBay.

And of course we still have RMGI (I feared this would eventually come down to a last one standing thing)… and we have the as yet unfulfilled promises of ATR. Anticipating something, even if it never materializes is kinda fun in it’s own right... not that I'll be able to afford ATR tape if it ever does. :p

In a practical sense nothing much will change… many will still be buying used or sealed sticky-shed AMPEX tape on eBay, wondering what RMGI is like and waiting for ATR… this could go on for another decade or so… ;)

Then there's possibility some of the also-rans that wanted to buy Quantegy will be back in the game and possibly do it right. Did somebody say China? Who knows at this point. :D

EDIT:

P.S. I'm not sure I can trust ATR at this point. They have a stake in creating the perception that there will be analog tape in the future. Without that perception their primary industry would not exist. They made the same announcement when Quantegy closed the first time... and we're still waiting.
 
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By the way, they're blowing out 406 and 457 tape 7 inch reel for pretty cheap right now. Hope they blow out 407 tape soon.

Just made my "end of the world order" of 40 reels of 406 1/4", 15 of 457 1/4", and 4 reels of 406 1/2".

Damn shipping is $50, but this package is gonna be pretty big!

-MD
 
I will say this for Hutt and Foster of the current Quantegy… they’re not doing this like the old Quantegy, which just shut their employees out and stopped production.

What the former owners of Quantegy did in the first shutdown was shameful. Their actions in early 2005 are still having ramifications today. Many vendors stopped carrying tape for good back then because of the sudden crisis. Many diehards whose livelihood depends on recording, reluctantly made the switch to digital at that time out of necessity and the uncertain future of analog tape.

For anyone with old-school ideas about sacred trust and doing the right thing… sinful is the only word that can describe Quantegy’s actions in January 2005. Hutt and Foster were handed a 50/50 chance of success at best. They have made mistakes and could have done a few things differently, but they also couldn’t completely undo the damage from the former owners. My 3 cents…
 

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Damn. I'll have to ask my usual supplier if they're going to stock RMGI.

The RMGI website is being awkward about suppliers - does anyone have a list? I might have to nag Protape about this again..
 
Just got this in my inbox today:

ATR Magnetics Update - January 2007

ATR Magnetics is ready to supply analog mastering tape and will meet the market demand since the leading supplier has announced it will discontinue its line of analog tape after April 2007. So, professional recording engineers around the world can rest assured there will be a steady supply of high quality mastering tape.

Our first formulation, ATR Master Tape, has successfully completed a thorough beta testing and at this time the plant is ramping up to full volume production - building inventory of 2" ,1" and ½" reels.

ATR Magnetics was founded in April of 2004 with a mission to manufacture the best analog recording tape possible. New process methods have been developed that assure excellent consistency and performance. A substantial capital investment and product research immersion have given rise to a better mastering tape formulation.

We have modified the classic manufacturing process of how magnetic oxide particles are disbursed into the mix. Our new methods have directly lowered mid-band noise and improved magnetic field switching for an enhanced depth of field listening experience. Our process has also resulted in higher operating levels then could be previously used. When the point of saturation commences this tape doesn't fold up but musically softens.

Direct factory ordering information will soon be posted at www.atrtape.com

Thank you for your patience and continued support.​
 
I wonder if ATR will supply lower operating level tapes on 1 mil ? :confused:
 
What, pray, happens if you try to use ATR tape on a machine lined up for 456? They say that DBX tends to even things out, but all the same, would it be a good idea?
 
No one knows yet how ATR will perform, but they have always said they are focusing on a high output tape with no plans for the standard like 456. If it’s anything like GP9 or SM900 you could use it at lower levels on a multi-track as long as the machine can bias up to it.

It’s going to be a long time before AMPEX and Quantegy branded tape will run out. The super diehards like me and some of you will benefit the most as others throw in the towel. One scenario is that eventually the market will be so saturated we’ll be buying this stuff 5 years from now at pennies on the dollar. It could happen sooner than that.

On the other hand the saga could continue with yet another party buying the AMPEX/Quantegy formulations. It may split up with one company offering the open reel analog stuff and another the video or digital. Historically, tape formulations haven’t disappeared, they just get passed on. Quantegy is a combination of Ampex and 3M magnetics. RMGI now holds all the AGFA and BASF open reel formulations. Maxell never did offer anything in larger widths, so Quantegy and RMGI currently represent most of what was out there before, plus some of their own new formulations. ATR, if it materializes, will just be another chapter.

This whole thing is going to be up and down for some time to come. Hutt and Foster made the first go but didn’t make it. There were others in line. We’ll have to wait and see.

Personally I’m not planning any panic buying. The prices will either fall (eventually) or someone else will take up the torch. Either way, I’m not worried about future tape stock. Being the most stubborn person I know, I’ll be the last one happily using it, and they’ll be giving it away at that point… and I’ll take it. :p
 
jpmorris said:
What, pray, happens if you try to use ATR tape on a machine lined up for 456? They say that DBX tends to even things out, but all the same, would it be a good idea?
Click to expand...

I guess that would give same result as using 499 tape on a 456 aligned unit. That is when you get that strong metallic sound, which can become irritating, unless you record industrial music :)
 
_DK said:
I do have a couple of 1/2" Maxell reels :)
Click to expand...

Do you have a picture ? I hate to cast doubt but I'm 99.9999% sure Maxell never made anything above 1/4".
 
cjacek said:
Do you have a picture ? I hate to cast doubt but I'm 99.9999% sure Maxell never made anything above 1/4".
Click to expand...

My apologies, I've confused it with something else :)
 
What I'm affraid of is ATR making such a high operating level tape, that it'll wear out most of the semi-pro gear out there, with its thicker and heavier oxide. I believe that anything above +3 or +6, would be a very bad idea for many narrow track machines such as the TASCAM and FOSTEX examples and I hope ATR knows this. But then again, we'll have NOS Quantegy stock, RMGI and possibly another company that buys out the former. :)
 
cjacek said:
What I'm affraid of is ATR making such a high operating level tape, that it'll wear out most of the semi-pro gear out there, with its thicker and heavier oxide. I believe that anything above +3 or +6, would be a very bad idea for many narrow track machines such as the TASCAM and FOSTEX examples and I hope ATR knows this. But then again, we'll have NOS Quantegy stock, RMGI and possibly another company that buys out the former. :)
Click to expand...

That's pretty much how I see it as well. ATR could make some of the same mistakes Quantegy did... not reaching out to the semi-pro user. Although I had many email discussions with marketing people at Quantegy since 2005, including people responsible for the web content, they really didn't take any action.

Just some examples, the bias setup guide only listed specs for high-end machines... it never changed from the old Quantegy website. I sent them head gap info for TASCAM and FOSTEX, but they never added it. I also suggested a web forum and more guidance to new users about the advantages of new tape... information on sticky-shed, calibration instructions in plain English, etc.

I don't think they fully understood the market potential of people buying pre-owned semi-pro machines on eBay. Every reel of old sticky Ampex on eBay that sold was a sale lost for Quantegy. In short they had no marketing drive, depended on an already established Pro consumer base through word of mouth... absolutely no outreach to people that didn't know they existed.

This failure is painfully obvious, as two years later many didn't even know Quantegy had come back. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people on various forums talk about Quantegy in past tense, only to be surprised when someone told them they were making tape again.

When Quantegy went bust in '05 the "Death of Tape" story was in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Radio, TV, around the world, etc, etc.

Except for the local Opelika-Auburn News, Quantegy never informed the world that "We're not dead yet." Well, the mistakes were numerous... I could go on, but...

And by the way here’s the latest from Opelika (and even they don't seem to be aware of RMGI).

http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satell...icle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192798133&path=!news
 
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